Records

Referees

Crew Chief

SHULGA, BORIS, Ukraine

Referee

NESKOVIC, DRAGAN, Serbia

Umpire

CHEBYSHEV, SERGIY, Ukraine

The Take

Khimki is all but in the ULEB Cup Last 16 after a 19-point road victory in the first leg at Köln 99ers. Head coach Kestutis Kemzura's Khimki grabbed a 91-72 win over an inspired Köln, which was under-manned due to a near financial collapse. Khimki shot 52% for the game and forced 17 turnovers while turning the ball over only 9 times. Kemzura's Russian team eventually proved too much for Köln, blowing the game open after leading by only three points going into the fourth. Center Maciej Lampe dominated the game at times in scoring 23 points while playmaker Dan Ewing had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Small forward Kelly McCarty had 13 points, new shooting guard Clay Tucker also had 13 and reserve forward Nikita Shabalkin chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds. With the big lead and returning to its home court, Khimki looks like a sure bet to reach a Last 16 showdown with either Joventut or Swans Gmunden. Köln 99ers meanwhile was happy just to play the game after having been told it would have its license for the German league revoked hours before the first leg only to shortly thereafter announce the team had been saved. Head coach Sasa Obradovic's under-manned team (it released its top three players - Toby Bailey, Immanuel McElroy and Aleksandar Nadjfeji - to stay alive financially) held tough for three quarters before finally losing the fourth quarter 25-9. Köln shot just 44% and struggled handling the ball with 17 turnovers. Forward Milko Bjelica did all he could to make up for the lost production with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Playmaker Derek Raivio added 14 points and 4 assists and forward Marko Keselj had 13 points and power forward Yassin Idbihi chipped in 10. And while those were solid numbers, the rest of the players totaled just 9 points. With the club's immediate future now saved and nobody believing Köln has a chance to advance, Obradovic will likely tell his troops to go out and have fun and see what happens.

Monday, February 25, 2008

ULEBCup.com

Quotes Head Coaches

Players

Maciej Lampe led four players in double figures as Khimki booked its spot in the Last 16 with a convincing 96-69 victory at home over Köln 99ers in the Last 32 return leg. Khimki won the two-game series with a 187-141 aggregate score, advancing to a date with the winner of the Joventut-Swans Gmunden showdown, which was being completed later. Khimki started the second quarter with a 15-6 run and eventually opened a 20-point gap before the break and never looked back. Lampe paced Khimki with 20 points in 18 minutes, while Anton Ponkrashov added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Khimki also received 13 points from Clay Tucker and 10 from Nikita Morgunov. Köln, which entered the series well under-manned after sending off its top three scorers, rebounders and assist men to save its season financially, was led by 22 points from Milko Bjelica and 18 from Derek Raivio. Nedzed Sinanovic added 14 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort while Marko Keselj chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Lampe opened the scoring for the hosts and Bjelica evened things. The lead was 6-2 but Bjelica and Raivio both drained three-balls to knot the game at 8-8. Tucker knocked down back-to-back triples and a third basket as the hosts pulled ahead 21-14. Raivio hit again from long range but Ponkrashov scored five straight points for a 26-20 advantage after one period. Baskets by Tucker and Ponkrashov to open the second gave Khimki its first 10-point lead, 30-20. Keselj answered with a long ball of his own. But Morgunov's score started an 11-3 surge to push the gap to 41-26. Lampe went outside to knock down trey and his next basket made it a 20-point game - 50-30. A Florian Nesgen long-ball trimmed the deficit to 50-33 at the break.

Lampe started the second half as well and back-to-back baskets by Bjelica made it 54-38. Raivio hit a three-ball and Sinanovic scored to trim the margin to 56-43. But Morgunov's inside hoop pushed the gap back to 19 points - 63-44. Koln tried all they could to cut into the deficit as Keselj hit from downtown and two foul shots for a 67-52 game. But Mike Wilkinson answered with a three-ball and an offensive rebound put-back to re-establish a 20-point lead after three periods. Alexei Savkov drained a three-ball to start the fourth and Morgunov made it 77-52. Vladimir Dyachok's triple increased the advantage to 80-54. But Bjelica scored four points in cutting the deficit back to 82-60. Khimki was clearly too powerful as Nikita Shabalkin knocked down a long-ball and Ponkrashov's basket made it 89-60. And Savkov's late score gave Khimki's its only 30-point lead - 93-63.